So given the massive data implications of personalized medicine, the companies that may dominate in the space are likely to combine the medical rigour and research scale of large drug companies, with the information processing and data analytics of software or cloud computing giants. In fact, by the time life extension becomes a reality — the merger of an IBM and a Pfizer may be seen as the logical conclusion to a trend that began with Google co-funding a life extension project, Calico, with pharma giant AbbVie.
Immortality As A Service
One possible way that longevity could be made affordable will be to structure it as subscription service. Your monthly charges may vary depending on your individual condition, your conformity to certain lifestyle parameters, and how early you begin preventive treatments. ‘Immortality as a service’ providers will monitor their clients very closely — most likely using technology that evolved from today’s mobile bio-informatics apps.
So be warned: unhealthy lifestyle choices or dangerous physical hobbies are likely to be met with severe subscription rate hikes or even a fatal cancellation of service.
P2P Meat Markets
The alternative to a subscription funding model is someone else paying for your extended lifespan. Rockstars like David Bowie, James Brown, Rod Stewart and Iron Maiden all attempted to securitize their future earnings from their back catalogue and get their money upfront, but what about ordinary people? Financial institutions may baulk at the uncertain risks of securitizing an individual, but what about a P2P loan market for medical treatments?
Consider this scenario — browsing through a virtual stock market of individuals, weighing up their career prospects and capabilities, their influence networks and personal projects — before deciding who you are willing to back with your funds. Peer funding will be a double edged sword for those who take it. Imagine having to justify quitting your job or taking a holiday at your own personal shareholder meeting.
Social Stagnation
If you want to picture the potential social impact of extended lifespans, the best place to look is Japan. According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy in Japan is 82.9 as compared to the global mean of 69.2. Due to both longer life spans and deference to family elders, young professionals entering the workforce in Japan often have to wait until well into their middle age before gaining positions of influence or power. In our future scenario of extended lifespans — this may become a common global phenomenon.
When the rich and powerful hold onto their toys way beyond a normal lifespan, you will see increasingly aged company boards, the indefinite delay of retirement, and a calcification of inherited wealth. If the new rejuvenated elderly are smart, they will concoct elaborate changes to the educational system to keep people in training longer and even encourage an extended adolescence in ambitious juniors — all to distract them from the reality of their continued grip on power. Bread and circuses indeed!
Black Immortality Markets & Rogue Rejuvenation States
Whether you are a Hollywood Studio defending your movie library, or a luxury brand protecting your handbags from imitation — piracy is already a global epidemic. Now consider the consequences of companies or countries stealing technology to prolong life. Prohibitive pricing and the divisive politics of life extension would certainly be sufficient incentive. Would some rogue nation in 2050 proactively encourage stealing longevity technology to provide their citizens with a competitive edge against other nations?
Whether it be for cosmetic surgery or birth control — patients already travelto arbitrage different regulatory regimes and the relative cost of medical treatments. Will we abandon our countries of birth in the future, in order to live longer in some other one? And in the spirit of the oil wars that defined the twentieth century — what kind of future geo-political conflicts could a battle for immortality inspire?